Summary

Quite simply, an amazing achievement in modern war games, and the best excuse to get Xbox Live.

The Good

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, although different from its PC counterparts, definitely delivers the goods when it comes to intense, non-stop modern war action.

The combat in Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is outstanding. Primarily a multiplayer game, Battlefield 2 does not play like a run-'n-gun action game. You don't feel invincible like you did in Halo 2 -- you are a perfectly normal soldier that will only take a few bullets before dying. In order to avoid enemy fire, you must duck down and take cover so that your enemies don't see you, but whatever you do, kill your enemies at all costs! Couple that with an astounding variety of vehicles to operate (such as jeeps, gun turrets, tanks, and helicopters), and the immersion here is unparalleled. You truly feel like you're fighting in a war, rather than just running around and killing bad guys. More importantly, the AI is also equally excellent. They react to in-game situations just like any human player would while playing the game on Xbox Live.

Amazing graphics and sounds also fuel the game. All of the in-game sound effects are realistic, and the musical score is movie-quality. The graphics are extremely detailed, and all of the explosions and weather effects are disturbingly realistic.

The game will sometimes deviate from realism a little bit and reward players with a health increase if they're really good at the game, but that's a plus. After all, players would feel cheated if they didn't get some kind of reward for having so much skill at the game, right?

The Bad

Nothing. This game rocks!

The Bottom Line

Combining high realism with non-stop action that truly feels like war, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat may just be the game to make Halo 2 look boring. Two thumbs way, way up!